June 19, 2021
A Fireball: This U.S. Navy Submarine Was On Fire Underwater
Fortunately, most of Bonefish’s crew miraculously escaped the calamity with their lives—but that doesn’t lessen the tragedy of the three crew members who were not so fortunate.
by Sebastien Roblin
On the afternoon of April 24, 1988, all was not well in the USS Bonefish—amongst the last remaining diesel-electric submarines in the U.S. Navy.
Power cables in Bonefish’s forward battery well were sparking and glowing cherry red, small flames and electrical arcs licking across the battery bus. A petty officer rang the alarm “Fire on third street!”
The crew frantically blasted CO2 fire extinguishers to cool the overheating battery but the flames continued to grow and light smoke began wafting across the submarine began surfacing to periscope depth. Nine minutes later Bonefish’s skipper ordered the hatches to the battery compartment sealed, hoping to starve the flames.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/fireball-us-navy-submarine-was-fire-underwater-188172